Backyard Tips

8 tips to help make this the best summer ever

  1. Safety first.  Follow a few common sense rules in the backyard and around the pool. Keep babies and small children within arm's length at all times, don't dive where you're not supposed to, don't run on wet concrete, and consider installing both gate and pool alarms to alert you to unsupervised pool use.
     
  2. Use plants to dress up the landscape.  They are beautiful to look at and can be very functional. Plants are fantastic at providing shade, a wind barrier, and privacy from jealous neighbours.  Use shrubs for form, foliage-heavy plants for color, and sturdy perennials for reliability.

  3. Add years to backyard furnishings.  If mildew spots appear on outside chairs and tables, wash the fabric according to manufacturer directions and dry in the sun.  Then mix together equal parts lemon juice and salt and rub on the stain.  Dry in the sun again and rinse thoroughly.  

  4. Organize backyard toys and tools.  Two simple storage rules for keeping backyard clutter to a minimum.  Air out wet things by storing them in big mesh bags or open-weave crates, and toss all the little bits - sunscreen, dive toys - into a clear plastic shoe organizer hung on the fence where everyone can easily find them.  

  5. Stay healthy with a water workout.  According to the Centers for Disease Control, just 20 minutes a day of exercising in a pool can decrease your risk of chronic disease.  If swimming laps doesn't excite you, there are other great ways to get moving.  Try kickboxing using water as the resistance and enjoy the benefits of strength, endurance and balance.  

  6. Maintain a perfect pool.  A pool filled with cloudy water equals no fun.  Fortunately there's a pool-care strategy - Circulation, Filtration, Cleaning, Testing and Chemistry - that equals a sparkling pool season.  Bring us a water sample and we'll get you started on the path to pool perfection.   

  7. Make a smaller footprint on the Earth.  In order to be more environmentally friendly purchase only high quality products that contain less fillers and mean less waste, fewer trips to the pool store, and a reduction in manufacturing effort, packaging, and shipping required. 

  8. Help pets swim safely.  It may seem like fun to let the dog paddle around, but before you let a pooch jump in, make sure he can get out without damaging the pool or hurting himself. Also check with the vet - swimming in a pool should be appropriate for the breed.  Finally, be aware that a typical dog can be the equivalent of about 50 swimmers in the pool, meaning extra vigilance is needed to maintain the water balance.